This report examines the relationship between socio-economic status and participation in the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Research indicates that students from low socio-economic status areas are over-represented in the VET sector; it also shows that VET students from these areas complete qualifications at a better-than-average rate.
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors which help successful equity initiatives that had been seeded in TAFE institutes through short-term funding to take root and spread. The report concludes that many equity programs remain stuck in the seeding stage and fail to thrive and grow. It suggests that this is because current funding approaches place too much emphasis on starting initiatives and not enough on the development and scale-up of promising ones.
Small businesses account for the great majority of businesses and half the private sector employment in Australia, but only one third provide structured training for their employees. This study, a systematic review of existing research, set out to find clear evidence of intervention strategies that meet small business needs in relation to the provision of information, skills and knowledge in the training arena. The review shows that strategies which match the way small business learns are more successful than direct or formal training. Small business learns 'through doing', with the focus on real issues in the workplace and learning through social networks.
Vocational education and training (VET) is much more important to young people than might be immediately apparent. This paper focuses on how young people participate in vocational education and training, what they study and their outcomes. Of particular note is the importance of VET for those young people who do not proceed on the conventional academic path of 12 years of school followed by university.
Successive Australian governments over the last 20 years have focused on providing employment programs which support Indigenous people into their jobs. This report finds that the effectiveness of such programs has rarely been rigorously evaluated against their diverse objectives. It highlights a recent shift in policy toward strict employment outcomes, making programs easier to evaluate, but also cautions against applying the same 'mainstream' objectives to all Indigenous communities.
School and vocational education opportunities are explored for Indigenous people in the Victorian Goulburn Valley region, where educational participation and completion rates are poor. Strategies that could boost successful vocational education and training (VET) participation include an education entitlement fund, stronger early literacy and numeracy programs, individual case management and greater involvement of the community in planning education programs.
This report looks at factors that influence university course completion by young Australians. It follows a group of young Australians over a period of nine years. It provides understanding into course completion rate, in particular, the socio-demographic and educational factors. It also documents labour market outcomes of those who leave university before obtaining qualifications. In addition, it asks whether even a partial university experience can lead to further pathways. Research report no. 51 This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
This report is part of a suite of research projects entitled 'A well-skilled future: Tailoring VET to the emerging labour market' conducted by a consortium of researchers from the National Institute of Labour Studies and the Centre for Post-compulsory Education and Lifelong Learning. This report aims to clarify the term 'skill shortage' and to explain how skill shortages can be resolved naturally by market forces. It also provides some guidance on determining when a skill shortage requires public-policy intervention.
Skill shortages in the Australian printing industry are examined in this report. The nature of shortages is considered, as well as responses aimed at resolving shortages. First, at the industry level, strategic responses such as investment in technology and diversification are proposed. Responses at the workplace level focus on attracting employees and improving the capabilities of the existing workforce. Finally, training solutions are proposed. These include a focus on new training models involving cooperation between industry and training providers. In summary, this study reveals the complexity of issues that shape skill shortages and the need for any industry to seek a coordinated response that draws upon the efforts of employers as well as training providers.
Using wage data from the Student Outcomes Survey, this study examines whether there is a pay off to actually completing a vocational education and training (VET) qualification, noting that many VET students do not complete full qualifications.
This paper models completions for traditional apprenticeships on the basis of commencements from 1995 to 2005. These models are used to understand the dynamics of the relationship between commencements and completions in order to predict the number of future completions. On the basis of the models, it is expected that completions will increase in the future. The models allow the paper to comment on the variation in completion rates across states/territories and changes in them over time.
This report follows the final years of secondary school and post-school pathways of young people residing in non-metropolitan areas. This includes geographic mobility, participation in education, training and employment. The study investigates why some young people leave these areas, who does so and whether some young people eventually return. The report indicates that the main reasons were to further education because of occupational aspirations mainly via university and TAFE study and less frequently through apprenticeships or traineeships. Research report no. 50 This report, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), is part of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) research program.
This report identifies what individual learners and industry clients want from vocational education and training (VET) and proposes how these needs can best be met. It also identifies a tension between compliance and creativity which needs to be addressed in quality frameworks at the system level. In addition, providers need to reshape their structures and modify their cultures so they are open to creativity and flexibility but also able to meet compliance requirements. At the practitioner level, ongoing funding for the professional development of staff is needed so they have the time and space to develop innovative strategies for teaching, learning and assessment.
Patterns of pathways between and within vocational education and training (VET) and higher education are examined in this study. It compares the notion of straightforward pathways with what is actually happening. The researchers interviewed 49 students in South Australia who had participated in VET and/or higher education and who had been through more than one transition between VET and higher education. The study concludes that pathways, while not necessarily seamless, and (as the title indicates) are often not straightforward, do work for the students interviewed.
The growth of apprenticeships and traineeships between 1997 and 2003 is examined in this report, with a specific focus on age and sex. The research found apprenticeships and traineeships changed dramatically during this period, with the range of occupations widening, part-time apprenticeships and traineeships now common, and apprenticeships and traineeships no longer the preserve of the young male.
The relationship between education, including vocational education and training (VET), and measures of health and wellbeing is explored in this report. Previous research in the area indicates that the relationship is also influenced by intermediary variables such as income. This report uses the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) data to examine the relationship between education and physical and mental health, and interviews with practitioners.
The aim of this research is to define good practices which support partnerships between adult and community education and vocational education and training, and identify negative practices which work against such collaborations. The research finds that strong and committed lead personnel, time, respect between organisations and a clear understanding of objectives are key factors for success. Each purchased copy of the report also includes a copy of 'Creating effective ACE and VET partnerships: Good practice guide'.
This report provides an analysis of data gathered from vocational education and training (VET) policy-makers, industry representatives, resource development managers and practitioners about their experiences and views on the uptake and implementation of equity learning resources. These resources are aimed at supporting trainers in teaching their students. A range of enablers and barriers to the uptake and implementation of the resources in the VET sector were identified. A key finding is that few equity resources appeared to be widely used. The issue of uptake lies not with the quality of the resources but with the processes surrounding their development.
Where do higher-level VET qualifications lead? This study investigates whether they lead to employment at associate professional or higher occupations, or whether they are a pathway to university studies. Findings indicate that there are good employment outcomes for some graduates, although often at below associate professional level. The study also found that these qualifications are a significant pathway to university studies for young graduates.
Using case studies from seven rural and regional areas, this report looks at the impact of schools and vocational education and training (VET) on community capacity. It finds that communities have developed different models to organise school-VET partnerships and that rural areas are more likely to adopt a whole-of-community model, while regional areas have used a more specialised regional model. Successful partnerships are those that respond to community issues, including the need to keep young people at school, as well as providing a skills base for the local area.